Held on the Friday evening between June 19th and 25th, Midsummer marks the brightest time of the year, which the Swedes of course celebrate. When living in a country with dark winters and short summers, celebrating the light and the warmth is a natural thing to do.
A big part of midsummer tradition is the Små Grodorna which is a dance consisting of jumping around a maypole like a frog and singing the words “Little frogs are funny to look at, they don’t
have ears or tails”. The maypole is a symbol of fertility which explains it’s quite interesting look. Be wary of the home brewed vodka brännvin which hits quite hard and more than once has been
the cause of a brawl that ended up in the newspaper. One way to soak up the alcohol is to stock up at the smörgåsbord; the buffet usually includes herrings pickled in various different flavours. It also features smoked salmon, boiled potatoes, hardboiled eggs with cod’s roe and strawberries – always Swedish, of course.
In case you’re not invited to a Midsummer party you don’t have to worry, there are plenty of public places to celebrate the event. For example Skansen, the museum that every year puts on the biggest celebration taking place in Sweden since 1892, or Akalla By, which is a good option if you want to enjoy traditional Midsummer celebrations away from the hustle of the city. If you want to escape the city but
still stay near to Stockholm, you can always celebrate out in the archipelago – we would recommend Djurönäset. Happy Midsummer’s!
